Traffic control sign



April 25, 1939 R. WQHUNTER TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGN 3 Sheets-Sheet l t C O NVEN ATTORNEY April 25, 1939' R. w. HUNTER TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGN Original Filed 0st 3, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet? INVENTOR A w b ATTORNEY April 25, 1939. R. w. HUNTER I 2,155,832-

TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGN Original Filed Oct. 5, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVE TOR fl/flwn,

TTORNEY Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGN of" Florida Application .October 3. 1933, Serial No. 691,936 f Renewed September 21, 1938 3- Claims. (Cl. 40-125) My present invention relates to pavement signs for the protection, guidance and control of vehicular trafiic, and has specific reference to the construction and installation of metal characters for forming the sign.

Pavement signs are generally of paint, as it has been found diflicult to set metal characters in pavements of all types, and to obtain long wear and visibility for the metal signs. It is the principal object of my invention to devise a metal character that may be readily attached to all types of pavements,, that will resist removal or displacement by traffic, and that will have a long life.

A further disadvantage of pavement signs of metal as formed heretofore has resided in the need for a multiplicity of different letters or characters, or has entailed the useof round or square blocks for building up a desired character. It is a further object of my invention to provide a small number of different forms, which may be fitted together to build up any desired character, the resulting built up character appearing of integral construction.

An additional disadvantage of standard pavement signs resides in the use of standard characters, which appear distorted to the eye of a motorist. It is an additional object of my invention to devise a character outline that will appear of normal shape to the eye of an approaching motorist or vehicle driver.

With the above and. other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of an arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an assembly of four portable mats forming a traffic sign;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing the application of a metal character to a bituminous surface pavement;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the application of a metal character to a concrete pavement;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of one metal plate;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line 1--1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a typical group of characters showing the shapes of the basic metal plates used for forming the characters;

Fig. 9 is a detailplan view of a modified arrangement of metal plates to form characters;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan view of one metal plate; and

Fig. 11 is a section on the line llll of Fig. 10, showing the mounting of the metal plate on a concrete pavement surface.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred mounting for the traflic characters is shown in Fig. 1. The sign consists of a plurality of mats 15 on which characters l6 are secured, each character being formed ofa series ofv metal plates I! which are preferably of twelve or fourteen gauge black iron. Extended experiments have shown that large plates, particularly if thin, have a tendency to warp and curl upwards at the ends when subjected to the pressure of traffic, and that large, heavy plates do not conform to irregular pavement surfaces; it has therefore been found most suitable to use small, heavy plates which are interfitting and interchangeable.

The mats, shown in cross-section in Fig. 2, are constructed of layers of cotton fabric, felt, or other textile material 18, wire mesh I9, and asphaltic cement or the like 20, covered with a wearing surface of mineral fragments 2|, each plate I! being imbedded in the mat by means of clinched end prongs 22. The textile material provides a cushion for the metal plates, the wire mesh reinforces the mat and resists the disintegrating action of traflic, and the asphaltic cement binds the parts together, preserves the fabric, and cements or secures the mat to the pavement. The metal plates are preferably bright finish, but may be of any color, and may be surface enamelled if desired; preferably, the upper surface is ribbed, as indicated at 23, to present wearing ribs to the traflic which are kept shining by abrasion.

The metal plates may be inserted directly into a bituminous pavement such as indicated at 24, in Fig. 3, or may be set in a concrete pavement 25, as shown in Fig. 4, at the time of construction, the prongs being preferably replaced by lugs 26 to lock the plates in the concrete. If a brick, concrete, or other hard surfaced pavement is in use, the metal plates may be applied thereto without using mats, by providing a thin asphalt skin one-half inch or more in thickness in which the plates may be inset.

The metal plate per se is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and is designed for manufacture by stamping in one operation. If planned for use in wet concrete, the edges of the plate are bent during the stamping operation, as indicated at a, Fig. 5, along the lines a2 and a3. If designed for use with mats or for insertion into bituminous pavements, double prongs are formed at each corner, as indicated at b, Fig. 5, by bending during the stamping operation along the lines b2, b3, and at the sides, as indicated at c, along the lines 02 and 03. When used in mats, the edges are preferably rounded, as indicated at d, Fig. '7.

The metal plates have bent-up ridges or lands 23 which add to the resistance to traflio wear, and which prevent the accumulation ofdirt, as the ridges are kept polished by the traflic wear and are found to increase visibility by reflecting sun light by day and street lights by night. The edges are preferably rounded to prevent dislodgement by objects dragging along the 'pavement.

The metal plates are of different forms, thirteen standard forms being indicated in Fig. 8, by numerals 27 to 39, these standard forms being adapted to provide any direction character,

and fitting together so as to present an integral appearance for the said character.

As indicated in Fig. 8, the formed characters 40, 4| and 42 are elongated, whereby they present a normal appearance to the eye of a vehicle driver, who sees them at an angle from his drivers seat. These characters are clear to the driver, do not present any trafl'ic impediment, and are easily and permanently installed.

If the trafiic signs are to be installed on hard existing pavements, it is preferred to lock the signs to the pavements by means of a layer of hot liquid asphalt or tar compound. The plates are preferably secured to steel bands or strip 43,

see Figs. 9 and 10, which may be perforated, and may if desired'be welded to the plates; the strips are completely covered by the asphalt or tar,

leaving the plates exposed, and the binding layer 44, see Fig. 11, is then covered with a wearing surface 45 of sand or small mineral fragments. If desired, the plates may be set so as to bring the adjacent edges of contiguous plates together.

It is thus clear that the metal plates are easily installed, and form legible traffic markers which resist'wear and tear, the installation being in expensive but durable. While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, it is evident that desired changes in the material, size, proportion, and arrangement of the parts may be made to suit the requirements for particular installations, without however departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sign device, a flexible mat having layers of textile material and wire mesh and a binder therefor, and metal direction characters locked thereon, said metal characters comprising plates having prongs extending through the interstices of said wire mesh and being clinched in said mat.

2. In a sign device, a flexible mat having layers of textile material and wire mesh and a binder therefor, and metal direction characters locked thereon, said metal characters comprising plates having integral prongs extending through the interstices of said wire mesh and being clinched in said mat.

3. In a sign device, a flexible mat having layers of textile material and wire mesh and abinder therefor, and metal direction characters locked thereon, said metal characters comprising plates having spaced surface ridges and having integral prongs extending through the interstices of said wire mesh and clinched in said mat.

RALPH W. HUNTER. 

